Someone was asking in a Facebook group if persimmons are a safe food to feed our birds.

This requires a two-fold answer, yes and no. The "Fuyu" variety is the best kind of persimmon to feed our birds because this variety is lower in "tannins" than other varieties. Other varieties are extremely high in tannins which are alkaloids. Tannins block the absorption of iron and the synthesizing of Vitamin B12 in our birds. Unfortunately this can potentially lead to anemia which can potentially lead to systemic metabolic disease. Also, the more ripe the persimmon, even the Fuyu, the less tannins is will contain. Also many of the tannins are found in the skin so it''s best to peel persimmons of other varieties other than Fuyu to make sure to remove most of the tannins. I personally have found it safe to feed the skin of Fuyu persimmons. Even then persimmons are high in "fructose", a type of fruit sugar. Fructose is not one of the "essential" sugars our birds require to thrive. Therefore feed any fruit or other food high in fructose in moderation. It''s okay to feed persimmon, but in moderation. In other words, don''t make it a staple fruit like mango or papaya which are low in fructose. Instead make persimmon a "treat" food.

(Ref: http://healthbenefitsofeating.com/fruit/11-health-benefits-fuyu-persimmon; http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-persimmons)

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